Moors and Christians of Villena

The Moors and Christians of Villena (Spanish: Moros y Cristianos de Villena), is a Marian patronal festival held in Villena, Spain from the 4th to the 9th of September. The festival is celebrated in honor of Nuestra Señora de las Virtudes (Our Lady of the Virtues), an invocation of Mary which serves as the city's patron saint and guardian against the Plague.

The festival in Villena has been declared a Festival of National Tourist Interest in Spain. Involving approximately 15,000 participants, it is among the largest of its kind. The Festival has a high local participation rate compared to similar festivals in Spain. The procession involves 14 Comparsas (musical groups), half of whom belong to a Moorish side and the other half to a Christian side, dedicated to the Virgin of La Morenica, as the Virgin Mary is referred to in the region.

The main events of the festival take place from September 5th to 9th, with preliminary activities beginning on September 4th. Parades such as La Entrada (the Entrance Parade), which takes place on September 5th, or La Cabalgata Nocturna (the Great Night Parade) on September 6th, can as long as to seven or eight hours. Approximately one hundred and twenty local and regional marching musical bands from various regions of south-eastern Spain also take part in the festivities.

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